The Power of Words
by alydaughter
Summary: Toph is taking a vow of silence. So what is the gang to do when they try to communicate to a blind and voluntarily mute group member? Sokka is given the task to get her talking again, but will these talks lead to something deeper? T for mild language
1. Scared

**Hello all. _Another_ story line. I'm on a roll. If you like what you're reading, please see my other fics, especially Fidelity, Blood Sister, and All in Due Time. Dont forget to Review. **

**Also, there is some change from first to third tense. Toph talks in first. Everything else is in the view of third person. Just wanted to warn people. Sorry if that bothers you. It just fits my purpose better. **

**Disclaimer: I dont own Avatar. I wish i did, but i dont.

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I love how they ignore me sometimes, as if I were not existence and not just blind. They think that just because I have that certain time of the month where I just want them to leave me alone, that I want to be left out all the time. Hrm…think; after we saved Aang from Scar face and his crazy sister, Katara and Sokka ran our heroic Aang into the medical unit and left me to watch Appa for TWO DAYS. Two days of talking to Appa. Two days of having Momo chattering away at no one but me. Two whole days of me fretting over my friends and not hearing from them in that time span. But hey, I'm just Toph and I don't care about my friends and I just want to be lazy and watch Appa right?

Under appreciated

Underestimated

Unneeded

I'm done with that. They'll see

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Katara sighed, opening her eyes to the early dawn light. Her head lay on the side of Aang's bed as the young Avatar himself dozed. Sokka was over in the corner, sleeping with his thumb in his mouth. It would have been comical if Katara hadn't been through hell the past three days.

The moment Aang opened his eyes after she healed him on Appa, she knew he'd live, but it'd be a struggle. She and her friends had stopped at the closest and safest town they could find and spent the past two days trying to revive the Avatar; he hadn't awaken since that fateful night.

But today she felt optimistic. Katara lifted her head and shook the loose strands from her face. She hated not having her braid in, but since she lost her hair band in her fight with Zuko, she had to deal with the mess. For some reason, lately Sokka gave even more glares to the boys as they passed by. But Sokka was always known for strange behaviors.

Speaking of her brother, he stirred awake shortly afterwards. Noticing the thumb in his mouth, the young warrior quickly pulled it out and whipped it on his shirt, looking around to see if anyone saw. Katara rolled her eyes and turned back to Aang, who had just rolled over. Any sign of moment was good.

"No change from sleeping beauty?" Sokka asked about Aang.

Katara sighed; sometimes her brother could be so insensitive. "No, Sokka. Aang is still as he was last night. I don't know why he wont wake up."

Sokka shrugged. "Maybe he just doesn't want to wake up. Maybe he is scared or something," the boy suggested half-heartedly.

After a moment of silence, the water warrior stood up and stretched. "It's been almost three days now, Katara. I feel bad for Aang and want to be there when he wakes up and all, but I think I should go check on Toph at the least."

Katara just nodded thoughtlessly. "Yes, yes. Fine, whatever you think best," she said, her thoughts elsewhere.

"Alright Katara, I'm leaving," Sokka said, walking slowly towards the door. He had been hoping for his sister to put up some protest so that he would feel needed.

"Bye."

"I don't know when I'll be back. You'll have to handle without me," he said, nearing the door.

"Ok. Be safe."

"Bye Katara…" he said, shutting the door slowly behind him. His sister didn't respond. He just shrugged his shoulders and walked down the main street of the small town, back to Toph.

"Is that why you won't wake up Aang? Are you scared," Katara asked into the silence, her eyes filled with worry. She fingered the bed sheets thoughtfully until her hand traced his. She gently grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Don't be afraid, Aang. I'm here. I'll keep you safe," she whispered.


	2. Silence

**Yay chapter two. Hope you guys like this. I think its going to be a humor/romance fic, but i havent decided yet. You can tell me if you find mild humor in any of this. Dont forget to review. **

**Disclaimer: dont own avatar, sorry kids. I know i'd be the best director, but no such luck

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I was sitting on a rock; looking at what I thought was the sunset. You know, sometimes it sucks being blind when you cant see things like the sunset. I've heard it's really something breathtaking, but I'm not one to wallow in my self pity.

But I digress.

I was sitting on a rock when I heard footsteps approaching. I did not turn my head or make any sign of recognition. It was Sokka, I could tell because of the way he walked with a slight spring in his step and the amount of pressure from his weight. Well, better him than Sugar Queen.

"I see you haven't killed Appa," he tried to joke. I did not acknowledge him.

"Are you doing ok?" he asked, nearing me. He had to be about five feet away, directly in front of me.

"You're blocking the sunset. I was watching it."

"Ok Toph, knock it off. The sunset is the other way…and besides, you cant see," he reminded me. I simply scowled deeper. Again, I was underestimated. Sure I couldn't _see_ the sunset, but I thought I was facing the direction and it allowed me to pretend I was watching it.

"No Sokka. I am not going to knock it off. I am taking a vow of silence after the next two sentences. Yes, I will continue traveling with you. No, I will not talk anymore, no matter what you try to do," I said, enacting my plan. I wish I could have seen his face…to see the shock on it of course.

"What are you talking about Toph? You cannot be serious," his voice seemed to crack. I simply gave him a raised eyebrow matched with an incredulous look. The boy grabbed onto my arm and pulled me off my rock. He seemed to be tying to make me snap out of it; as if shaking me off my rock would do that. I was tempted to yell at him, but then I remembered I was in a vow of silence. Damn, this not talking thing was going to be hard.

"What is this about? What happened," he asked, or interrogated it seemed like. I shook my head which only made him cry in frustration. "Please Toph?"

I stared ahead, giving no response. I knew this was bothering Sokka but that was exactly what I aimed for. If my friends underestimate and are not thankful for me, I was going to make living with me harder. Sokka took a couple steps back.

"You know, I'll just go tell Katara about this. She'll know what to do," Sokka said, trying to sound assertive, but instead his voice cracked under the stress of the implications. He didn't even make it ten yards before he tripped over a log and was out like a light.

I sighed, walked over, and dragged his unconscious form back to Appa. He slept like a baby. Well, at least some presence of my friends was better than none.


	3. Colours

**I'm home sick, so i wrote another chapter. I'm having a good hit ratio for first to second chapter, so i hope everyone is interested enough to read this chapter and the ones to come later. PLEASE REVIEW. i LOVE reviews.

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Sokka felt a little disoriented as he awoke from another dream about Yue. Instead of waking to her beautiful face smiling down at him, he found the vacant eyes of Toph staring at him from her spot a couple feet away…not that he was complaining about the change. The boy tried to shake the thought out of his head as he sat up and stretched. He was instantly consumed by pain.

"Argh. I feel like I was hit by a boulder," he groaned, giving Toph an evil, suspicious glare.

Toph , who couldn't see Sokka's glare, shook her head and pointed in the direction of the log he had tripped over. She then pointed to her head, showing him what he had hit. Sokka remembered how Toph said she was never going to talk, and he realized how annoying and difficult it would be dealing with her. But he did tentatively rub his head and found a large, egg shaped knot from where he obviously fell down. The water warrior winced. The earth bender smirked.

"I don't like your attitude missy!" Sokka started, walking up and poking her in the chest. Toph smirk wiped off her face as she clutched to one of her small breasts, as if it hurt. Sure, Sokka didn't really hit it, but it was fun to make the boy uncomfortable.

It worked, as Sokka soon blushed, but stood his ground, which shocked Toph. – he could tell by the scowl on her face as she took her hand away. "You'll have to talk sooner or later, Toph. You're too much of smart mouth to stay quiet forever." The girl shrugged and turned away, leaving the two in silence.

And it was the silence which would prevail for the next couple hours.

* * *

Too much pain. 

Too much fear.

Too much doubt.

It seemed as if everything was a kaleidoscope of colors and scenes dancing on the edge of consciousness First, the Fire Lord in all this glory on the thrown. Red, brown, dried blood. Next was a small girl with blue eyes, looking up at Aang in hope. Her small body was covered with dirt as she continued to run to refugee camps from the Fire Nation. Blue. Green. Yellow. Kyoshi Island waiting for Aang to return again. Purple. Pink. Katara's worried face bent over his, their lips barely separated from one other. Black.

All went black

And the cycle started over. Again and again. Thoughts of pain, of hate, of fear and doubt. Aang was only one kid.

Yue turned to the boy as he looked out at the ocean, "You have to do something!" she cried.

"But I'm just one kid…"

One kid who had to deal with the fate of the world. One kid who just didn't want to deal with it.

* * *

Apparently, Sokka could not stand silence. He proceeded to tell me this twenty two times throughout three hours. He tried everything to preoccupy himself: sharpened his boomerang, hunted, attempted to nap, made a hat, counted Appa's hair, counted my hair (that didn't last long), sang songs (he wasn't a bad singer). It was ridiculous but kept me occupied by watching him. 

But in the past ten minutes, Sokka had fallen into another fit of silence. He seemed…upset and thoughtful, something I have never really seen in him. Sure, I knew that Snoozles was not totally apathetic, but seeing him in this thoughtful of a state really irked me. I wanted to know what he was thinking about.

He seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"How do you go the whole day, not saying what's on your mind? Aren't you going crazy, just sitting there dwelling and not being able to talk about?" Snoozles asked me. I decided to acknowledge him by shaking my head. I didn't like not being able to snap at people, but I was used to not sharing my opinion with people and hiding the most important thoughts deep in my mind.

"You know what Toph? I'm going to make you talk. Sooner or later. Then you'll owe me," I was shocked when I felt him sit down in front of me. Sure I felt him get up and walk my way, but I was not expecting a one to one conversation. It would be a really one sided conversation though.

I did not know what to do, so I put on my mask of skepticism and smirked at him, showing my doubt.

I could hear him laugh, which turned my smirk into a scowl. He continued by saying, "I can always just bug you till death until you have to yell at me," I sighed inaudibly and crossed my arms in response. I never realized that body language could actually allow me to communicate, especially to Sokka who seemed not to recognize the earth beneath his feet.

"It all started when I was born on the warmest day of the year. My father used to tell me that I was such a big baby that my mother was upset with me…"

The boy droned on. I could have easily earth bended him into a small tent where I couldn't hear him, or actually knock him out with a boulder. But for some reason, I wanted to learn about Sokka's past. I had always wondered what made the boy tick in his odd fashion, so I listened; even to the parts that were disgusting or had way to much detail for my ears.

The sun was setting by now. I could tell by the movement of the fox-squirrel ten feet away from us. He had talked on for the past three hours, but was wrapping up his autobiography. "But I was rooting for The Boulder, and when I saw you, I thought "There is no way in the spirit world that she could beat The Boulder. So we met you and I thought you were the weirdest, most cynical and aggressive girl I have ever met…"

I raised an eyebrow, questioning his view on me.

I felt Sokka shrug as he stood up and walked farther away, "I still think that, but its not necessarily a bad thing."

I smiled to myself. First genuine smile I've had in a long time.


	4. Surprises

**Wow. I'm normally not this punctual when it comes to updating. But i guess i'm bored and i have nothing better to do. Geez, i need a life. Well here's this. Next chapter should be up tomorow. Hehehe. i'm excited for my next update. Read and you'll see why**

**Disclaimer: Oh i wished i owned A:tla**

**That is what i truely want to dooooo**

**Cuz if i owned A:tla**

**I would know exactly what to doooooo**

**(goes to the oscar mayer song)

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The sun was setting, another day without Aang waking up. Katara sighed and stretched –another day of not leaving his bedside. The medical nurse buzzed around, checking the youth's vital necessities. His whole body had shut down, doing nothing but breathing.

"Another long night, dearie. I left some clothes right there if you want to change out of those rags," the nurse said before bustling out again. Katara looked down at herself; the clothes on her body _were_ almost in rags from the battle underneath Ba Sing Se. Aang's clothes were in even worse condition. She would have to buy him some more.

The girl got up, moving her tired legs, and walked over to where her clothes were laid out. She had a pale off white shirt, loose around the chest, but tight at the bottom of the waist. The pants were brown and white, which would run neatly down her legs to come to a tight cuff at her ankles. Katara would miss her old blue garments – the only thing besides her necklace that she still had from the water tribe – but she had no choice. She looked around; no one was there, and started to change.

It was when she was halfway dressed did the girl hear a small groan accompanied by a weak cry of, "Katara?"

She quickly covered any indecent parts and hurried to his bedside, pulling the remainder of her clothes on there. "Oh Aang!" she exclaimed, hugging him.

"Ow," the avatar whimpered.

"Never leave me like that again Aang, do you hear me?" Katara said, crying into his shoulder. Aang smiled sadly.

"It's good to have you back again too, Katara," he said, genuinely smiling at her as she pulled away. Things were already starting to look brighter for everyone.

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Things were starting to look darker. Literally and figuratively. Sokka stumbled over a small stump due to limited vision, landing in the dirt near Toph who was leaning against Appa. The boy was too tired to move. Besides, it was too dark to see anything except the great white mass of Appa in the sea of night. Toph smirked and shook her head, mocking him. 

Damn. Toph still was not talking. Sokka's voice had gone hoarse after talking to the girl for hours, but she had not cracked. No "eww" when he talked about his first kiss (in detail). No "aww" when he explained the day his mother died. Not even a peep. He knew Toph was stubborn, but this was intense.

The boy curled up, trying to fall asleep on the warm ground. Instead, the unlucky warrior got hit in the head by a tree cone as the wind blew the trees above them. "Spirits damn it," Sokka muttered, picking up the cone and chucking it at Appa (who responded with a low moan).

Toph looked at him questioningly. Sokka shrugged and curled up next to Appa, "The cones are falling out of the trees. I think the first day of spring is tomorrow," he explained in a mutter, drifting asleep among the white fuzz.

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I was gone before Sokka awoke, although, truth be told, I did not want to move. I slept, almost in an upright position, my back against Appa. At some point in the night, Sokka's head had made it to my lap. Don't ask me how, its just what I found when I woke up. 

At first I was disgusted and I shoved his head off me. It mad a satisfying "thud" noise when it hit the group. Didn't surprise me 'cuz his head is full of hot air. But as I laid there, awake in the early morning, I realized how comforting it was to have him there beside me.

But what am I thinking? Me? Being comforted by Snoozles? It wasn't the first time I had thought that, and it wouldn't be the last. I always managed to push him in the back of my mind whenever my pesky emotions got in the way. Besides, today was not a day to worry about boys. Today was a day made for me, and only me.

But still. I couldn't help but feel the urge to go back and sit there beside him.

Damn hormones.

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Sokka stomach grumbled loudly, obviously awake before he was. The boy's consciousness followed soon after. The first thing he noticed was that he was hungry – it was always what was on his mind when he woke up. The second was that Toph was gone somewhere. Normally Sokka wouldn't care if she wandered around – she always said she could take care of herself. And if he heard Toph cry for help, he would have run to get her, like he always did. 

But now was not talking. Was she really stubborn enough to uphold the rule if she was in trouble?

Probably.

The boy set out, cursing his older brother complex. It did not take him long to find her. Appa was perched on the top of a hill. On the east side of the clearing there was a downward hill of rocks and grass; it ran down the long hill. He only had been looking for the girl a couple minutes when he found Toph perched atop a small rock, halfway down the hill.

Sokka sighed, feeling stupid for worrying. Still at the top of the clearing, the wind blew, forcing a tree cone to skid across the ground, running straight into Sokka's bare feet. He looked down and kicked the menacing cone away, smirking as he watched it roll down the hill. That would show it; stupid cone. But as he looked back up, something caught is eye on the ground. At his feet, etched but a couple inches from him by doings of earth bending read,

Happy Birthday, Toph. 13 years. First Day of Spring.

Now that was a surprise. Sokka looked up at Toph, wondering what he should do with the news.


	5. Plans

**I stayed up late last night writing these and now i'm putting them up. Toph's birthday!! Read and Review**

**Special shout outs to all my reviewers. I normally dont get reviews on my stories, so this makes me really happy :)**

**Disclaimer: If i owned avatar the last airbender, i would do things for Toph which would make her happy. But alas, i own nothing.**

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Thirteen years. Sokka ran back to the village after telling Toph that he was "going to go check on Aang." She did not say anything in response, of course, but he could tell that she was not very pleased about it.

Thirteen years. Sokka had to do something for her, something that would surprise her and make her feel special. In the water tribe, thirteen years marked womanhood. The pounding of his running feet pounded into his ears as he remembered Katara's thirteenth birthday festivities; it had been the biggest celebration the small tribe had had in many years.

He wanted to do something extraordinary for Toph: after all, she was his closest friend…just friend, right?

Sokka shook the thought from his head, not wanting to deal with the implications. The main road of the village loomed ahead and the water warrior took the rest of his energy to sprint the last couple of yards.

* * *

I did not care that Sokka left. Really, I didn't. Today was a day about me, not about anyone else, so I should be worrying about him or anyone else. Right?

Then why did I feel so lonely and abandoned? Its not as if Sokka knew it was my birthday or that I enjoyed his company. I guess he was just bored with me; I wasn't talking after all. I felt myself grow bitter at the thought; my scowl deepened.

Thirteen years, Toph old girl. How do you feel?

Lonely

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Katara and the nurse helped Aang into his new clothes; earth nation clothes. It was depressing seeing maybe the last item Aang had from the Air Nation to have to be discarded. The boy leaned back in bed, propped up on his pillow.

Aang sighed, still worn out by his injuries. Katara could see it in his eyes which seemed to hold more turmoil and stress than normal. It was times like when she looked in his eyes and saw all the problems of the world reflecting in it that she wanted to hold the boy and keep him safe from everything. Of course, that was idealistic and stupid.

The world would always be after the Avatar.

"So what happened? Tell me everything that happened after I went into the Avatar state," Aang asked, breaking the silence. Katara ran her hand through her long hair, absentmindedly braiding a small strand.

She was about to explain all when Sokka burst through the door thoroughly out of breath.

"SOKKA!" both youths exclaimed, surprised by his appearance.

The warrior strode over to Katara, "Guess what I learned today? It's Toph's birthday! Her _thirteenth_ birthday. And I know you are here watching over Aang – oh hi Aang – to make sure he wakes up, but I was hoping you could come and we could have a party for her."

Katara and Aang looked at each other, smiling at Sokka's enthusiasm and foolishness.

"What's so funny? I don't see why you two are snickerin – Aang you're up!" Sokka said, clueing into the world. He had been so wrapped up about his newfound knowledge of Toph's birthday that he had lost connection to the world.

Sokka caught up with the pair – asking about Aang, the past couple of days, and their plans for tonight. It was almost lunchtime by the time the eldest boy stood up to go get the necessary supplies. "Oh, Toph's not talking. I forgot to mention that," he added on the way out.

"She what???" the two younger kids asked in unison, but their questions remained unanswered as Sokka was already out on the main road.

* * *

I'm not going to deny it. I was quite pleased when I found Snoozles returning after a couple hours. Those hours sitting in my own silence were knawing at my consciousness like a platypus-bear. But as he neared I realized that Sokka was quite excited about something by his excelled heartbeat – that was odd. Normally the boy didn't get riled unless something really bad or really good had happened.

I was leaning against Appa when he reached me, I had been there stroking the animal for the past half hour – truth be told, I was quite fond of Appa (but don't tell anyone).

"Aang's up!" he said, in a chipper mood. Odd. Something was up. His heartbeat was still excited, so I couldn't tell if he was lying or not. Damn.

_So does that mean we can get out of this hellhole_? I thought to myself. Sometimes it was hard not being able to nag or submit my sarcasm in the most opportune or annoying times.

"I was wondering if you wanted to meet me at the bottom of the hill at sunset tonight. We can have another little talk like we did last night," the boy seemed nervous about asking me, but it peaked my attention. Sokka wanted to talk to me again? That was different. I raised an eyebrow, questioning his motives.

If I did not know Snoozles any better, I would start think there was something behind this.

"Alright, alright. If you don't want to talk, that's fine with me," the boy said, backing up and sitting on a log. I thought about it. I did actually look forward to another thought. I earth bended a pebble into my hand and threw it at him to get his attention.

"Ow you didn't need to do that, I was looking at you," he said. Now that got a blush out of me. I nodded my head, letting him know I agreed to this evening.

"Great. I'll meet you at the bottom of the hill at the big rock in a couple hours," he said, climbing onto Appa to take a nap. But I could have sworn that I felt his heart beat faster right before he lifted himself on top of the fluffy beast…


	6. Toph's Day

**The birthday surprise was too much to put into one chapter, so its two. Hope you enjoy. It may have Sokka out of character for a line or two, but i'll let you be the judge of that.**

**Disclaimer: I dont own a:tla. Im getting tired of these already...

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Sokka watched as Toph climbed tentatively down the hill to meet him at the spot. He stretched atop Appa, the setting sun glarin in his eyes, before climbing down. Everything was going according to plan. Now it was time to distract the girl. But truth be told, he was kind of excited to go down and hang out with Toph. The more time he had spent with her the last couple days, the more he looked forward to it. Somehow he could tell that she was interested in what he had to say, as if she could relate to it.

But Toph was not talking, so he didn't know for sure.

The girl was perched on the arches of her feet when Sokka reached her. "Looking at the sunset again?" he asked, half joking. Toph looked at him and nodded. "It's really pretty today," Sokka added, sitting down across from her.

Something about Toph seemed…unconfident tonight. Sokka studied her as she looked down at the rock beneath them, not even looking in his direction. She seemed intent of keeping away from eye contact. He waved his hand in front of her face before realized that…well…she was blind…

"So today's lecture will be about the future plan of the world," Sokka started, using a mock serious voice, hoping to catch her attention. Toph looked up at him and smirked – and so the discussion began. The two conversed, Toph silently of course . She could nod or shake her head in response to his questions and even in one tricky situation Toph drew some battalion arrangements in the rock as Sokka talked about military strategies.

Sokka smiled. The plan was working. The sun had set and the two friends were not even close to reaching a conclusion to the discussion. But then again, the future of the world was a broad topic. Sokka fell silent, leaving the two to sit in, coincidently, silence.

* * *

Katara and Aang were decorating the top of the hill to surprise Toph. Katara ran around lighting lanterns and doing the manual work. Aang did what he could in his weakened conditions. He earth bended a table (with much used effort) for the small group to sit at as well as helped cook the food – which basically resulted in him watching the food to keep it from burning.

The Avatar stood up, walking to the east side of the clearing where he could see Toph and Sokka conversing. Toph's back was to him. He could see that Sokka was doing all the talking and remembered what Sokka said about Toph not talking. That would be interesting to the point of awkardness. Yet, the two kids talking on the rock seemed happy, but soon fell into silence. But as Aang watched them, he saw the look Sokka gave Toph – the avatar smiled in realization. He would have to talk to the water warrior later.

But for now, he would give the two their privacy.

* * *

"You know Toph, sometimes I'd really like to hear what you had to say about your life and how you feel about…stuff…but you cant really do that when you're taking a vow of silence," Sokka said awkwardly, staring at the rock, not wanting to make eye contact – not that Toph would be able to tell, but still.

The earth bender thought about it. Despite the fact that she hardly told anyone about herself, it would be nice to tell Sokka about her history and how she felt about her friends and how she wanted to be independent. But no, when Toph started something, she stuck to it. The silence vow was the same case. She sighed and shook her head.

Sokka looked up at her, somehow feeling hurt by the fact that she didn't want to talk to him. A rock flew up and hit Sokka's eye, breaking him out of his disappointed state. "Damn Toph what was that for?" he asked, rubbing his face. The girl rolled her eyes and pointed to the ground. The etched words in the rock said, "I'm sorry,"

Shaking his head, Sokka stood up. "Don't be sorry Toph. I wont give up on talking to you. I told you, I'll make you talk again and then you'll owe me…how about…fifty wishes?" the boy said, getting back into his easy-going mood.

The earth bender stood up too, shaking her head. She held up one finger and waved it in front on his face. The boy grabbed the finger and yanked her, making her loose her balance.

"One wish? You sure that's all you want to give me?" he asked. Toph gained her balancen back although Sokka still held her finger and was trying to shake her back and forth. Teetering between balance and falling, Toph gritted her teeth and held up two fingers.

Sokka laughed, "Alright. Two wishes." The boy let go of her finger; Toph, standing firmly now, smiled viciously and genuinely. In one easy movement, she twisted her fist, forcing the rock beneath Sokka to churn. A surprised look crossed his face as he fell over.

The water warrior could have sworn her heard Toph laugh.

Standing up, Sokka started to climb up the hill. "C'mon. Lets go make dinner," he suggested. Toph simply shrugged and climbed up after him, smiling all the while.

* * *

Sometimes Sokka was such an idiot, pulling the whole two wishes things on me. But I had to admit it; the boy was a character. My stomach rumbled as a followed him up the hill.

"Hey Toph, do you know what day it is?" Sokka asked as he made it to the top of the hill. I stopped behind him, standing on the incline. He couldn't know what day it really was, I made sure I erased my own birthday memo before Sokka woke up, didn't I?

I didn't answer him. How could I?

"It's the first day of spring," Sokka answered himself. I started to breathe again and climbed up the rest of the hill.

The first thing I noticed was change in the landscape created by a table of earth that wasn't there before. The second was the presence of Aang and Katara. Sokka put his arm lazily over my shoulder and I jumped. I think my heart stopped in those couple seconds…in surprise of course.

"It's also your birthday," Sokka said. I could almost imagine the grin on his face as he looked upon my shocked on my own.

"HAPPY THIRTEENTH BIRTHDAY!" the trio coursed. As much as I love being the tough girl, the un-breakable, the fortress, I couldn't hold up that image now. I could have easily smirked and made them feel like this was all stupid.

But I could not hide my happiness.

It _kinda sorta_ showed a _little teensie bit_ through when I broke into the biggest smile _ever_.

Thirteen years, Toph old girl. How do you feel?

Loved.


	7. Perfect Night

**I'm BACK. This is the last scene of Toph on her birthday, but i had to add this, cuz it moves along the Tokka plot.**

**FYI: i finished writing my outline for the plot. I know what will happen and that this is going to be 20 chapters long. So enjoy while you can.**

**Dont forget to REVIEW!!!!! (much love to my reviewers)**

**Disclaimer: If i owned Avatar, it'd be freaking awesome. Alas, i do not...

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"And then he said…no you guys listen…he said, 'why don't you buy your own blubber?'" the water warrior cracked up, wiping the tears from his eyes.

The Aang and Katara laughed politely at Sokka's lame joke – the fifth he had cared to share that night. The lanterns hung low, as if tired by the festivities. Sokka was quite proud of himself for pulling together a nice party for Toph – she had been surprised which made Sokka feel even more accomplished.

Speaking of Toph, Sokka looked around to find her not in the clearing. The boy thought he spotted movement in the forest so he headed that way, skirting around Aang who was shouting at Momo for feeding Appa appleberry juice. Something about the juice making Appa drunk…

Sokka shrugged off the activities from the clearing as he entered the thin forest. The tall pine trees loomed above the boy as he looked for his blind friend.

Said friend stood a couple meters away, leaning against a small rock, her eyes closed. Sokka smiled, knowing that although she looked vulnerable with her eyes closed, she could see him coming closer, and besides, she could beat his butt any day. What a comforting thought.

"The party scene just too much for you?" he asked, walking up and leaning on the rock next to her. The cool surface was calming in the mild evening. Sokka stood there, shoulder to shoulder with Toph, and for some reason he felt calm – calm at least for his excited and sometimes intense emotions. Everything seemed so composed, including Toph, who still had her eyes closed.

She smirked in response to Sokka's question and shrugged.

The smirk lingered into a smile, but Sokka was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to notice.

* * *

I think the last time I was this happy was when I ran away with Snoozles, Twinkle Toes, and Sugar Queen. I do not really remember a time before this when I was this contented. It even seemed as if the earth agreed with me, for all was deathly peaceful when I heard Snoozles walk into the small patch of trees.

We kinda just stood there in silence, which is normally awkward for the two chatterboxes that we can be. But something about the night seemed so different than before. Till this day, I still cant put my finger on it.

There was just something about that night; you have to remember that.

* * *

"Did you have a good birthday," the boy asked, curious to how Toph felt due to the birthday celebrations he put together. Of course, her simple nod was not good enough for Sokka. "We got you didn't we? I'm just the sneak master, I know," he continued, playfully punching her shoulder.

He never expected the ground beneath him to protrude rapidly, making him fly into the air. Sokka landed in front on Toph, picking himself up with little grace. "I guess that's just the way earth benders say thank you," Sokka grumbled, getting a smile out of Toph.

The water warrior noticed this and grinned cheesily, always one to woo the girls. Sokka realized the implications of his flirting – as it always started when he was interested in a girl. But Toph couldn't even be counted as a girl, could she?

But the way he looked at her that night. There was just something about that night that made everything different.

Sokka sighed, contented. "Well I'm glad you had a great birthday. Happy thirteen springs, Toph. You can officially challenge Katara as title of 'woman' in the group. Of course, I have no competition…c'mon its Aang for Koi's sake."

And that's when it happened. It was just an opportunity and Sokka was just on his instincts. It was just the way the night fit the mood and the mood fit the night. It was just the way Toph was leaning at that perfect angle, her head up, as if looking in the air in defiance…

* * *

Another silence had fallen over us; but once again, it was not an awkward one. But that's when it happened. I was just thinking about my other birthdays; how I had hated them and been all dressed up and out of place, when I felt it. Or I thought I did. A brisk peck on the cheek. I couldn't tell, he hadn't changed position, so I hadn't expected it.

But I'm not even sure if it was real, because by the time I snapped out of it, he was calling over to Aang and running back to the clearing.

It may have never happened, just a figment of a girls dream…I mean, every other girls dream, not necessarily mine…

* * *

There was something different about that night, as Toph became a little more like the girl she was. She leaned into the rock, as if melting in it (but only leaving an indent where her earth bending body shaped into it). "What a perfect night," the girl whispered, but no one could hear.

* * *

**Ok yes, Tokkaness. But you have to read on to see how things turn out. **

**Here's a game to see if you can guess.**

**What will happen in next chapter?**

**a. Toph and Sokka keep talking as if nothing happened**

**b. Toph and Sokka fight.**

**c. Toph and Sokka start going out**

**d. Toph and Sokka are confused about what to do next.**

**muahahaha. have fun guessing.**


	8. Flowers

**two more chapters??? what?? actually, this was supposed to be one chapter, but it would have been the longest chapter EVER, so i cut it into two. (as a side note, dont worry about Koki and Lei. You will never see them again. how sad :P)**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW (extra kudos to those who guessed correctly on the last reviews. The immediate answer is A, but you'll have to see how it goes)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of A:tla, not even a clipping of Appa's nails. Nothing!

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**

Koki and Lei were playing with their fake wooden swords. The older, brown haired boy advanced over the smaller one, calling out, "You better watch it, Koki, I'm about to gut you!"

The younger boy stopped as Lei plummeted his fake sword through the air and poked Koki's stomach. Lei pumped his fist in the air, celebrating his success. The younger boy continued to stand still, his eyes plastered on the eastern horizon, his face in terror.

"What's wrong Koki? Did you actually die?" Lie joked, waving a hand in front of his friend's face. His hand started to tremble along with the ground and before the boys knew it, a mass of salamander-dragons rumbled past them. Instinctively, the older Lei grabbed Koki and covered him, curled up in a ball. The riders of the salamander-dragons whooped loudly and roughly as they pummeled over the ground.

When the dust settled the two boys ran home, leaving their now splintered swords in ruins, along with their bravado.

* * *

I woke up to the sunlight; it was the first time I had felt that in a while. Normally, I sleep in my earth tent, it makes me feel solitary and closer to the earth, but last night I decided to sleep under the stars with my friends. I know, call me soft, but I wanted their company for once. 

But today was quite difference. Although the sun greeted me as I awoke, none of my friends were there. I sat up and stretched, accidentally hitting Appa. The animal gave a sort of grunted reply and I remembered something Aang told me about Appa being drunk last night. Such a big animal must get one hell of a hangover.

Speaking of hangover, I wasn't feeling too hot myself. We had all stayed up extra late and I could feel the lack of sleep in my bones. Hopefully I wouldn't have to earth bend today – I didn't even know if I could lift a rock.

* * *

Aang and Katara were out a little from the clearing, talking happily as they gathered wood for the campfire; they had to eat and keep warm somehow.

"Wouldn't it be cool if earth bending included plants? It'd make this so much easier," exclaimed the young avatar. He then proceeded to make obscure and odd gestures, as if trying to get the brawny pine tree in front of him to bend to his will. Katara covered her chuckle with the palm of her hand.

"I don't think that's going to work. You may be a powerful bender but I just think the plants are out of your range," she said, picking up a dry twig. The avatar air bended to the closest stump and sat upon it, watching the water bender.

"I'm not a powerful bender, and I'm definitely not a powerful Avatar," Aang said, his mood sobering up. He hung his head slightly, which the ever observant Katara noticed.

"What are you talking about Aang? You are a great bender – the best I've ever seen. And you have plenty of time to master the Avatar state and get yourself used to everything," Katara tried to comfort him. She walked over to the stump and sat next to him on it, leaving them shoulder-to-shoulder.

"No, you don't understand," the boy almost whined

"Then explain it to me…" Katara responded softly

"I'm supposed to sacrifice…some things in order to control my Avatar state. Things I don't want to give up, things I cant give up…"

"Like what?"

Here the boy hesitated. Katara could almost see the doubt in his eyes. He looked up at her suddenly, shocking the water bender as she found her blue eyes locked on Aang's gray. "Like love…Like you…"

Katara blushed horrendously, not sure what to say. "Aang…I…" she stuttered, watching his face fall. She knew what he wanted her to say, but she was too struck dumb to even think of a response.

Luckily for the two of them, a boomerang picked the best time to come flying between them, making the couple duck if they wanted to keep their heads attached. The boomerang flew back where it came from, followed by a "YEOW!" presumably from Sokka.

The boy stumbled out of a thicket of bushes and onto the grass at Aang and Katara's feet. Sokka struggled to his feet, picking up his boomerang and a bunch of stems. "Has anyone seen Toph yet? I have something to give to her…" he held out the bunch of stems for the group to see. Noticing this, Sokka stopped, "Aww man, damn boomerang cut off the flowers…." he whined

"You were bringing Toph flowers?" Katara asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah? So? Just 'cuz it's not her birthday, doesn't mean you cant make someone feel good," Sokka said defiantly, oblivious to the implications of his actions.

Aang and Katara looked at each other skeptically then back to Sokka. "No, we haven't seen her. She's probably still asleep," Katara suggested.

"Right! Asleep. You two continue doing…whatever you were doing," exclaimed the oddly chipper Sokka. He scampered away, leaving Katara and Aang scratching their heads in confusion.

* * *

**haha. i love Sokka. A snipet of Kataang for those who like it. **


	9. Enemy Attack

**Enjoy and Review**

**Disclaimer: If Avatar the last airbender was owned by me, i would make it more than three seasons. But i dont have that power or the ownership.

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Did I mention that as much as I love being alone, I'm not really used to it? At home, I never had any privacy or time to sit and just enjoy my own presence. Back then, all I wanted was to have time alone; to be alone and care for myself.

And all of a sudden I am given that opportunity. Here I am, alone on my rock, sitting in solitude. Enjoying my own presence? I don't know, I guess I wanted some company. I'm not a very easy person to satisfy; I always want what I can't have.

And as of right now, what I wanted was Sokka's presence beside me.

The boy seemed to know what I was thinking because a couple minutes later I felt the boy come striding out of the forest. I could tell he was in a good mood by the way he picked up his feet. I smiled to myself as he stumbled a little down to my rock.

"Toph, my main girl!" he said in his usual manner, sitting down beside me. I knew it would be hard holding my vow of silence. I wanted so badly to ask him about the kiss from last night, as trite as it may seem. But I already felt bad for breaking my vow when I whispered to myself last night. So no talking, I would have to wait for him to bring it up.

"So what is it today? Science? Military? Or Personal?" Sokka asked, listing the possibilities of topics. I pretended to think about it, although it was an easy answer. I held up the number three so he would know which one; anything to figure out what was going through his thick skull.

* * *

Sokka was surprised to see Toph becoming less and less responsive as the conversation progressed. He had been talking about his past relationships with Yue and Suki and how he wasn't sure if he ended up killing all the girls he ended up loving. For some reason, Toph just didn't want to respond to anything he said, even her nods became less frequent.

They sat in silence – an awkward one. Toph looked frustrated; Sokka seemed confused. The girl opened her mouth as if to talk a couple times, but thought better of it. The last time this attempt to talk happened, Toph's ears perked and she snapped her mouth shut abruptly. The girl stood up quickly and ran up the hill as fast as her short legs could carry her – Sokka chased her up.

* * *

I felt it. I knew something big was coming. Something bad. I had to warn them, but how? I wasn't talking. Call me stubborn, but I wasn't going to talk. It was part of a promise to myself.

But danger was coming, and I had to let everyone know.

* * *

The girl skidded into the clearing; Aang and Katara looked up from the fire, surprised. She jumped eagerly as Sokka came running up too, out of breath. Toph hurriedly held up two fingers, waiting for them to respond.

Aang, Katara and Sokka looked at her blankly.

* * *

Damn, they are so slow sometimes. The herd was getting closer. I was running out of time.

* * *

She waved the fingers more frantically. "Oh! It's charades. I love this game!" the avatar exclaimed. He leaned forward, "Ok. Two words!"

Toph nodded, hastily moving on. Next she bared her teeth, resulting in more weird looks. Abandoning that attempt, she tried to get into a low stance, an evil glare in her eye. She pointed her front two fingers at Aang ferociously. Again, no response! She resorted to another action, covering her left eye and scowling.

"ZUKO!" the three coursed together. Toph rolled her eyes, urging them to keep guessing.

"Fire nation?"

"Scar?"

"ENEMY!" Katara finally figured. Toph jumped up and down.

"Enemy what?" Aang asked.

* * *

It was too hard getting through their dense minds. They just didn't understand the urgency as I did. By the time they guess what I was trying to tell them, we would all be captured or worse. I felt the enemy group's vibrations getting closer, almost upon us. There was no more time for stupid games.

* * *

The three friends stood confused as Toph snapped into fighting stance, facing the eastern horizon. She stared with concentration, a thin scowl on her face.

Aang scratched his head, "Are we still playing?" he asked.

Katara felt it before everyone. The rumbling of the earth, the trembling of the ground, and the dust cloud getting closer. Her eyes widened and her heart stopped cold.

"ATTACK! ENEMY ATTACK!" Katara yelled right as the horde of salamander-dragons broke into the clearing.


	10. Guilt

**Hey guys! I had a little writers block on this chapter, cuz its a transition chapter, but it has some tension, so it had to be there. Hope you enjoy! Hopefully i'll get the rest of the chapters up every one or two days at a time.**

**Thank you to my beloved reviewers, you keep my fic going!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own avatar the last airbender, only in my dreams.

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**

It would be an understatement to say that the gAang was surprised. It would be an understatement to say that they had no idea what to do when a mass of salamander-dragons and their violent riders came screeching into the camp.

Nonetheless, the teens still had to protect themselves.

Sokka was the first to react, extracting his sharpened boomerang. Soon enough, Katara, Aang, and Toph set off a whirlwind of bending, knocking many men off their animals. Aang flew above, shooting people with missiles of air. There had to be at least thirty tall, burly, hooded men riders atop salamander-dragons.

The twelve-year-old boy landed on the ground and found himself beside Toph. The petite girl earth bended a boulder at one of the riders, yet the shot was weak and hardly knocked the mysterious attacker to the ground.

"You ok Toph?" Aang cried over to his friend; both still fighting.

She nodded grimly, obviously lying.

* * *

Katara watched as the remaining ten or so riders fled the battle sight. The four teens, although thoroughly exhausted, rounded up the injured opponents. They had about eighteen men, bound by various forms of earth bending.

The water bender was fuming while she watched Sokka interrogate the conscious salamander-dragon riders. According to three of the men, they were an individual group who were hired to do various illegal tasks – such as find the avatar and bring him to the fire nation. The eldest – a cruel man named Jye – promised that the "Rough Riders," as they were called, never gave up on their assigned task.

Sokka turned away and walked back towards his friends, "I don't think its safe here anymore," Katara said softly and gravely to her brother. "They'll do anything to capture us."

"Seems to me that Ozai's running out of ideas," Sokka chided. Toph shook her head and pointed towards Appa, "voicing" her opinion that they should probably leave; personally, she didn't want to get into any more fights tonight. Toph felt weak enough as it was.

Katara glowered at her. "I hope you know that we wouldn't be this bad off if you hadn't been playing your stupid silence game. Had you just told us we were being attacked, we would have been ready to fight, those men who escaped would have been caught, and we wouldn't have to worry about the 'rough riders' anymore!" the elder girl ranted, getting into Toph's face. The blind girl scowled. Katara heaved in anger. Neither of them had been in such a fight since the first time they met.

Aang cut in between them, facing Katara; her face lightening up some with him standing in front of her, "I say we leave just to be safe," the avatar suggested, ending the argument of what to do next.

The Avatar turned around to address Toph only to find her climbing on top of Appa already. Sokka followed suit and soon the group was off…

But no one knew to where.

* * *

In case things weren't bad enough as it was for us, I think I made it worse. Appa flew for what seemed like forever. Every hour or so, someone would ask Aang where we were going, but he would only respond vaguely.

I sighed and closed my eyes – not that it really mattered – and curled up near Appa's head and next to Sokka. I think Katara sat across from me and Aang was somewhere on one of the sides of the saddle. But then again, I couldn't see when we were flying, so I didn't know what was happening.

But just because I was blind, didn't mean I couldn't feel when someone was boring holes into my head. The whole ride I could feel Sugar Queen's glare on my skin. I tried to ignore it, really I did – I'm not confrontational if I don't wanna be – but after half a day of it, I was near my breaking point.

Apparently, so was Katara.

"How do you lay there smug when you know you've uprooted us, once again?" Katara started. I would have snapped back, but this was one of the times where silence would have more of an impact.

It did.

"You are so selfish! Playing your stupid game while allowing us to get in trouble. You're not even sorry! What if Aang had died in that spiff, you would have allowed the last air bender and our last hope to be lost, all because of your stupid mute-ness. You're so immature and selfish! I don't know how Aang even learned earth bending from you!"

"Katara shut up!" Sokka snapped in. "Since when have you been this cruel? The sister I knew never picked fights with people who couldn't fight back."

Oh, what I would have done to see Sugar Queen's face that moment. I did hear a little sob from her direction, but what followed that was silence. I felt Snoozles shift some beside me, a slight moment when he squeezed my hand for reassurance, and then he swiftly let go, sharpening his boomerang in silence.

But even that couldn't quell my guilt.

* * *

The small group landed, in the rising moon, on a small patch of land in between two large lakes. Sokka had found it on the map; a small, twenty arm lengths or so, piece of land separating Lake Okai and Lake Omai. The tall grasses came up to Toph's waist, and the ground was soft.

The group trudged off Appa, trying to find a hard place to sleep. Aang found two half dead trees – their roots kept the ground hard. Sokka and Toph would sleep next to the smaller tree and Aang and Katara by the other. The water warrior turned to Toph to see where she wanted to sleep, only to find the girl missing.

"Toph? Toph?"

Katara bit her lip, still feeling bad about her spiff with the petite girl earlier in the day. "Go find her Sokka," she ordered her brother, her voice effectively hiding her guilt

Sokka looked across the mass of tall grasses, swaying in the same manner as the waves beside it. Off to save Toph. Off to protect her…not that he was complaining.

* * *

**Well thats that chapter, Katara's being a meany, but she's prolly pms-ing o.O**


	11. Blushes

**Yay! New chapters! Hope you are enjoying all these chapters! **

**Please review! I live for your reviews and there werent many last chapter :'(**

**Disclaimer: I simply rent the avatar charcters, but i do not own them. sad.

* * *

Typical. Simply typical. Of all the places to make camp in the _entire _Earth Kingdom, we had to pick a marsh. The mush and the mud under my feet were as good as air or water; I couldn't see a god damned thing. **

Typical. Simply typical. Of all the places to make camp in the Earth Kingdom, we had to pick a marsh. The mush and the mud under my feet were as good as air or water; I couldn't see a god damned thing. 

And even more less shocking, Sokka, Aang, and Katara started to walk away without me. I heard their whispers get farther way, but I couldn't see where they were going, nor could I call out to have them come back for me.

After a while, I stood in silence. Annoying prickly things tickled my chest and arms; I grabbed blindly at them. I caught onto a strand, feeling it until I realized I was nearly chest high in grass. So basically, I was almost invisible to anyone looking at me, I was actually blind, and surrounded by annoying pieces of green. I'd never be found or missed. Nighttime in the tall grasses. Unable to talk or see. Great.

There was nothing else I could do. I would have to try to walk.

It came, one step after another. If I felt my foot go into a lake, I'd quickly change my route – I didn't feel like drowning tonight. I could almost feel the moon glare at me as I made my way through the thicket, getting more and more frustrated. The farther I went, the higher the grass got until eventually the only thing visible was the top of my head.

"Argh!" I gave a frustrated cry –breaking my vow (but only a little) for the second time – and sat down in the mud. I could feel it suction onto me; how I hate mud sometimes. Using what little strength and sight I had left, I attempted to turn the mud into a hard platform. I succeeded only it making the ground beneath me spin until it was hard and all the grass around me to be uprooted.

Good enough.

So I sat, in the darkness. In the silence.

* * *

Sokka watched the moon as he traveled silently through the marshy grounds. The boy walked near the edge of the water, looking for Toph in case she had stepped in the water and… 

He shook the thought and images from his head, shuddering as he did so. Although the water warrior had concluded that his petite friend probably couldn't feel her way in the wet marsh, he knew Toph was smart enough to not end up at the bottom of the lake. Sokka did not' want to think about what he would do if Toph had gotten into any really danger.

_It would be the third girl I have failed at protecting_ the thought slid stealthily into his mind. Sokka shuddered, realizing that he had been protecting the earth bender almost subconsciously. It was the little things he did, like sit next to her on Appa to make sure nothing would happen, or keep her away from the water when possible. The boy sighed, noting how protective he truly was over his small friend. Just like he was in protecting Yue, and then Suki. It was almost as if…

As if…

Sokka's foot got stuck in a specifically tricky patch of mud, ripping him from his concentration. The boy cursed the gods of earth and water for mixing, pulling his foot out of the mud with a cry. His cry seemed to echo…and become a higher pitch. Sokka's heart skipped a beat when he acknowledged the second cry he heard as Toph's.

He scanned his eye over the grasses, now chest high on him, for any movement – she had to be close. The wind seemed to stop blowing and the moon to grow brighter. Sokka turned his attention to the moon, recognizing how bright it seemed to be…as if lighting his way.

"Thank you Yue," he whispered, walking cautiously forward, trying to find the friend he knew was so close, hiding in the tall grasses.

* * *

The bugs hummed in my ears as I started to doze off. I could feel the spring winds rustle through the plain. I could have been mad at the world for putting me in this position. I could have been upset with the spirits for making me blind. I could have been angry with my friends for everything they have done to me. 

But for some reason, the silence was so peaceful.

* * *

By now, Sokka was desperate. More than anything, he wanted to find Toph to make sure she was ok, to talk to her, to have her back. He was not even sure why he wanted all this, but since when did Sokka take time to actually think about his actions or emotions? Using his boomerang, he hacked away at the tall grasses, knowing it was probably dangerous, but he used it as a means of faster searching nonetheless. 

The water warrior sighed, hacking a chunk of the meadow away without much conviction. "Toph where are you?" he asked to himself, "I'm worried about you. Please come back, I'll go crazy by myself with Aang and Katara," the boy rambled recklessly. "And who else is going to be my flying partner on Appa and make fun of Aang with me? Who else will put up with your sarcasm or throw you the best thirteenth birthday ever? I need you to come back Toph, please."

* * *

I thought I heard Snoozles talking in my dreams. Something about needing me, but I was still half asleep, so I don't know if it was a figure of my imagination or not. Regardless, I turned redder than the fire nation flag. 

I snapped my eyes open, startled at a whacking sound I heard above me. I looked up just in time to feel a sharp object slice the air on top of my head. I heard the double slice, noting that it was a boomerang that almost cut my head off…

Wait…a boomerang! Sokka!

I jumped up, surprising the boy – but then again, he surprised me more. He almost dropped his boomerang, but instead, over reacted and sent it flying across the moor, only to have it come back and land lightly by his feet. We stood in dark and it was then I realized that everything I heard while I was half asleep…Sokka had actually said.

Good thing it was dark, or my face would have lit up the sky.


End file.
